42 l 43 Innovation Carat – a step into the future Was it sheer coincidence? Exactly 80 years after Buhler shipped its first die casting machine, the Group rolled out its new, trail-blazing “Carat” machine design at the GIFA 07 foundry trade show held in Düsseldorf in June 2007. More accept parts at lower cost A number of surveys conducted around the world unmistakably show the value drivers in the die casting industry. Top among the requirements that a state-of-the-art casting cell is expected to satisfy are the following: machine uptime, global service availability, rugged and low-maintenance operation, and higher specific casting capacity relative to the footprint of a machine. In sum, this means: higher uptime and higher utilization rate or – in other words – higher profitability of a casting cell. This requirement profile is summarized by the acronym OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency). Translated into die casting terms, it means more accept components per time unit at minimum cost. 40 possible variants The Buhler development team’s assignment in designing the new machine series was based on this requirement list and an investigation of the current and future range of components to be cast. The result is now available in the form of the new modular Carat two-platen machine series with a locking force range from 10,500 to 44,000 kN. Each die closing unit can be com- bined with three shot units of different size – called “lean,” “compact,” and “extended.” This modularity produces the required number of variants that the market needs. For example, customers can now select from among thirteen size graduations and a total of five shot units of different size in the locking force range mentioned. In all, this provides almost 40 Carat variants. Higher specific shot capacity The two-platen machine design eliminates the need for a toggle system. The locking forces are applied to the tie bars through four hydraulic clamping cyl- inders. The benefit is a much shorter machine, which increases the specific shot capacity. An improved distribution of the locking force and automatic compensation for dimensional inaccuracies of the die reduce the creation of tinsel, cut the scrap rate, and increase the service life of the die. Plastic injection molding machines have long utilized this design using hy- draulic clamping cylinders. But die casting machines operate in much more Knowing what tomorrow’s markets will need is a prerequisite for devel- oping products that will satisfy the market requirements. The new Carat die casting machine series is the Die Casting division’s response to this challenge. For more information on the Carat machine design, please contact: Marco Luchetti Team Manager Carat Machine Development Buhler Die Casting Division at Buhler in Uzwil T +41 71 955 22 81 F +41 71 955 33 88 [email protected]